'Hatch' winterfat: a quality shrub for ranges and wildlands.

A superior strain of winterfat called 'Hatch' was recently released for planting semiarid range and wildland sites within the lntermountain West. 'Hatch' was selected for its ability to establish, persist, and provide winter forage in the sagebrush and pinyon-juniper communities. Big game and livestock have demonstrated a preference for 'Hatch' over other accessions tested. The cultivar has excellent winter hardiness and drought tolerance. It is mostly erect, leafy, with moderately tine stems, and produces a considerable amount of seed and forage, particularly in years of heavy snow. Plants tend to be evergreen, with leaves persisting through the winter.